Pakistan's High Court: Women Can Marry For Love

March 11, 1997

LAHORE, PAKISTAN — Couples who marry for love do not violate the teachings of Islam, even if the marriages were not arranged by their parents, Pakistan's high court ruled Monday in a landmark decision. Saima Waheed's parents had asked the court to annul her February 1996 marriage to Arshad Ahmed. But the court ruled that Saima Waheed's decision to choose her husband does not violate Islamic teachings and the couple are free to live together.